


Couldn't go far enough

by NinaEevee



Category: Night In The Woods (Video Game)
Genre: And I mean MAJOR SPOILERS, Don't read if you haven't finished the game, Gen, More tags to be added?, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-21 02:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10675890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinaEevee/pseuds/NinaEevee
Summary: Soon after she was gone, a train came rushing by. The noise was deafening. It came so close to him that he could almost touch it. In fact, it was hard to keep himself from extending his arm just by a bit, just to know what it was like, to be moving at that speed, able to go anywhere, not rooted to one place...And then, just like that, it was gone.





	Couldn't go far enough

**Author's Note:**

> Yay first NitW fanfic also first multi-chapter fanfic! Yeah, so, it's not very long, I only have one other short chapter planned but I hope you guys enjoy! See you at the end!

“Dude, I’m gonna miss you,” Gregg remarked, giving Mae a side hug. “Hope your bus crashes on your way to college!”

“Hope you get hit by a train while I’m away!” the girl shot back with no hesitation.

“Hope you fall off the stairs and break all your bones!”

“Hope your house explodes with you inside it!”

The two continued with their banter that would worry anyone that hadn’t known them for a while, but Casey was used to it enough that he was easily able to tune them out as he rested his back against the wall and sighed, stomach full of the diner’s crappy pizza.

Mae Borowski was going to college.

Mae Borowski was going to escape this town.

Sure, he was going to miss her and he was happy for her and all, but he mostly thought she was lucky. She’d get years away from stupid Possum Springs – in college, with all the cool rich kids – and then, when she came back, if she came back, wouldn’t have to stay for long. She’d get opportunities that none of them would ever had, and one of those would surely get her out of town for good.

“Casey?” Angus called in his deep growly voice that had gotten him the position of singer in their little band.

Angus was the most mysterious of them all, Casey would say. He and Mae didn’t really hang out with him much besides band practice, and he suspected the only reason he tagged along on outings like those was Gregg.

“Yeah?” He turned his head slightly towards the bear.

“Everything alright? You’ve been quiet.”

“Yeah, big guy. Just thinking.”

“Missing me before I’m even gone? I don’t think you’re gonna last without me, Casey,” Mae interrupted with a smirk.

“Me, missing you? Never.” He offered her an equal mocking smirk, his previous thoughts pushed back for the time being.

Silence settled for a moment, but then the group broke into laughter.

“No, but seriously guys,” Mae managed to get out as they were calming down. “School will be boring as eff without you. Keep your old bass warm for me, yeah, Gregg?” She winked at the fox, who gave her a thumbs up. “Alright, gotta jet and finish packing my stuff. Oh man, I’m gonna miss this diner and this shitty pizza.”

“We’ll save some for you,” Casey assured her, getting up from his seat. “I gotta go too.”

“See you guys at 10 tomorrow? Don’t forget about me, dudes,” the blue cat warned as she waved them goodbye.

 

* * *

 

 

After leaving the diner, Casey had been wandering around the outskirts of town. Despite making it look like he had something to do, he really just didn’t want to stick around – no sense in being the third wheel for Angus and Gregg, and he needed to think anyway.

He couldn’t put a finger on what it was that was bothering him – the cold feeling he had about Mae leaving them all behind, stuck in Possum Springs, to go to college. Casey didn’t even want to go to school. All he wanted was to be anywhere else but in this stupid, tiny, old, claustrophobic town. It was not where he was meant to be, he knew it.

The boy took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket, lighting one of them. Lost in thought, he hadn’t realized he’d reached the tracks. The sun was setting in the horizon, painting the sky red.

He looked up from his cigarette to see a little girl laying between the tracks, seemingly half-asleep.

“Hey, kid!”

Startled, she immediately sat up straight, looking around to see where the call had come from.

“Over here. What are you doing here?”

“I-I, uh…” The girl stopped to breathe. She seemed to be hyperventilating already, and he had barely said anything. “I live n-near here.”

He stopped to think for a moment, then threw his newly lit cigarette on the floor and stomped on it to put it out while he listened for the train. Sure that it wasn’t coming, he walked to join the nervous girl.

“What’s your name, kid?”

“Uh, it’s, uh… It’s Lori M.”

“Lori M.? Heh. Cool name. I’m Casey H. How old are you?”

“T-twelve.”

“12? Do your parents know you’re here?”

“They, uh… Are you going to repeat everything I say?”

He chuckled a bit, realizing he was doing just that. “You’re pretty clever, Lori M. But why are you here?”

“I like to, uh… Lay between the train tracks and… Yeah. Why are _you_ here?”

“Huh. Good question. Just ended up here, I guess. Seriously though, the sun is setting. Are you sure you’ve got permission to be here?”

She looked at the sky then towards what Casey imagined was her house. “No, you’re right, I think I should go. Uh… It was nice meeting you?”

“Sure was. Run home now, kid,” he encouraged as he watched her silhouette disappear into the landscape.

Soon after she was gone, a train came rushing by. The noise was deafening. It came so close to him that he could almost touch it. In fact, it was hard to keep himself from extending his arm just by a bit, just to know what it was like, to be moving at that speed, able to go anywhere, not rooted to one place...

And then, just like that, it was gone.

 

* * *

 

 

Mae looked like a completely different person than she was last night. Actually, she looked like she same person, except she was about to dissolve in a puddle of tears.

“There, there, kitten. You’re gonna be alright,” her father attempted to comfort her, patting her back.

“I’m gonna miss you guys so much!” she sobbed.

“Aw dude, we’re gonna miss you too.” Gregg had his hand resting on her shoulder and tears in his eyes. He was being almost as dramatic as Mae.

Angus was standing near the bus station entrance, probably not wanting to interrupt them, since he didn’t know Mae and her family as well as the others.

The bus driver peeked his head out from the bus, an impatient expression in his face. “We don’t have all day, sweetheart. There’s other people with other places to be here.”

Mae’s mother frowned at him before turning to her daughter. “You better go, honey. We’ll email and call you, don’t worry,” she reassured the girl.

“O-okay,” she sniffed, giving her parents one last hug before moving on to her friends. “Keep being awesome, Gregg. Don’t break up with Angus, he’s good for you. Casey, if I meet any cute people in college and don’t have any chance with them, I’ll send them your way. I’m trusting you to keep the band going, dude. And Angus, keep them safe for me!”

She picked her backpack from the floor and ran to enter the bus.

“Mae!” Casey called before she could disappear inside. “You’re lucky. Don’t screw this up.”

She looked confused for a moment, but then the driver gave her a mean look and she rushed to her seat.

They watched as the bus drove away, Mae with her face pressed to the window as if holding on to the last sights of her home. If Casey were in her place, he wouldn’t even think about looking back.

 

And there were three.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you guys think, the next chapter should be coming soon. It doesn't really affect the story but if you want to know what my headcanon look for Casey is (since it's canon-divergent I guess), you can find it on my tumblr here daisyxshield.tumblr.com/post/159618243986/casey-was-good-this-is-my-headcanon-for-how


End file.
